EP175: Srini Rao on Unmistakable Creative

I loved having this conversation so much and I think you’re all really going to dig it, too. Today’s guest Srini Rao, author and host of the Unmistakable Creative podcast is someone who not only has personal chops and experience when it comes to developing creative processes and creating habits for effectiveness and productivity – but he’s a real student of the two as well. Between his own studies and interviewing over 700 people himself (#podcastgoals), he provides a TON of interesting and useful perspective in this episode.

From cultural expectations and differences, to relating his passion and dedication to surfing to creativity, and finding creative flow in spite of having ADD and bouts with depression, we went deep in this conversation. Enjoy and be sure to let me know what you think!

About Srini Rao:

Srini Rao is the host and founder of The Unmistakable Creative podcast where he’s conducted over 600 interviews with thought leaders and people from all walks of life. This has given him an incredibly distinctive view into branding, storytelling, and marketing. He’s also written multiple books including the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Art of Being Unmistakable; created, planned, and executed a 60-person conference called the Instigator Experience; and is publishing the forthcoming Unmistakable book with Penguin Portfolio. Somewhere along the way his compass led him in the direction of an economics degree from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Extracting unmistakable stories out of people is his superpower. And in his spare time he’s usually chasing waves.

In this episode, Srini shares:

1. Finding flow between boredom and anxiety
2. How to work with a medium that’s constantly changing
3. Habits: how to increase activation energy towards the habits you want to cultivate and decrease it from the habits you want to avoid

What You’ll Hear:

3:35 Cultural differences and expectations between men and women
13:02 Surfing as a positive reinforcement + flow within mastering new skills
24:57 Development of habits and activation energy
42:01 Variability in entrepreneurship and navigating depression
50:30 Putting people on pedestals and authentic connection

MEET ELIZABETH

Never ask permission to express your soul’s desire

I spent many years dialing down my desires for the benefit of others. Through my search for meaningful work and purpose, I stopped doing that. My deepest desire now is to help women get out of their heads and into their bodies to reconfigure our current body image culture and make self-love, trust and acceptance the new standards.